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Feelings First

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Lesson Plan

Feelings First Outline

Students will learn to recognize and name emotions, practice reflective listening, and show empathy by engaging in playful activities and group discussion.

Building emotional vocabulary and active-listening skills fosters self-awareness, peer connection, and helps students manage feelings in and out of school.

Audience

1st Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Games and guided sharing to practice emotion expression and listening.

Materials

Emotion Exploration Slides, Emoji Mirror Game Cards, Circle of Feelings Talk Prompts, and Color Your Mood Worksheet

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 mins

Step 1

Warm-Up: Emoji Mirror Game

5 mins

  • Pair students and give each pair a shuffled set of Emoji Mirror Game Cards
  • Student A picks a card, makes the face, Student B mirrors the expression
  • After 2 minutes, students swap roles and try new cards
  • Rotate pairs once

Step 2

Exploring Emotions with Slides

5 mins

  • Show the first 5 slides of Emotion Exploration Slides
  • Invite students to name each emotion aloud
  • Ask volunteers to share a time they felt that way

Step 3

Circle of Feelings Discussion

10 mins

  • Sit in a circle and display Circle of Feelings Talk Prompts
  • Read each prompt (e.g., “Share a time you felt happy”) and go around the circle
  • Model reflective listening: “I heard you felt sad when…”
  • Encourage students to acknowledge peers: “That sounds tough. I’m here for you.”

Step 4

Color Your Mood Activity

7 mins

  • Distribute Color Your Mood Worksheet
  • Ask students to choose colors to represent how they feel right now
  • In pairs, students share their colored mood and explain why
  • Teacher circulates, asks guiding questions

Step 5

Reflection and Closing

3 mins

  • Reconvene in the circle and ask each student to name one new emotion word they learned
  • Praise empathetic listening and express appreciation for sharing
  • Remind students they can use these strategies anytime they feel big emotions
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Slide Deck

Let’s Explore Emotions

Look at the face. What feeling do you see?

Welcome everyone! Today we're going to look at some pictures of faces showing different feelings. Can you say the name of each feeling with me?

😊 Happy

When you smile, play with friends, or eat your favorite snack.

Point to the happy face and say: “This is happy. When do you feel happy?”

😢 Sad

When a toy breaks, you miss someone, or something doesn’t go as planned.

Point to the sad face and say: “This is sad. What might make someone feel sad?”

😲 Surprised

When something unexpected happens, like a surprise party!

Introduce surprise: stretch eyes wide, open mouth.

😡 Angry

When someone takes your toy or you feel frustrated.

Discuss anger: clench fists, frown.

😟 Worried

When you have a test or wonder if your friend is okay.

Show worried face: furrowed brow.

😌 Calm

When you’re reading a book or sitting quietly.

Discuss calm: relaxed eyes and mouth.

Scenario Practice

I lost my crayon. I feel… [pause for responses]

Quick scenario practice: “If you lost your crayon, how might you feel?”

Your Turn to Share

Pick one feeling and tell us when you felt it.

Encourage sharing: “Who wants to share a time they felt one of these feelings today?”

Get Ready to Act

Next up: Emoji Mirror Game!

Wrap up: “Great job naming feelings! Now we’ll play a game to act them out.”

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Warm Up

Emoji Mirror Game Instructions

Objective: Students will practice recognizing and mirroring facial expressions to build emotional awareness and empathy.

Materials:

Time: 5 mins

Prep:

Instructions:

  1. Pair up students and give each pair a set of Emoji Mirror Game Cards.
  2. Student A selects a card, studies the emoji, and makes that facial expression.
  3. Student B mirrors the expression, focusing on eyebrow position, mouth shape, and eyes.
  4. After 1 minute, students switch roles and pick new cards.
  5. Optionally, rotate pairs once more so students can practice with different classmates.

After the activity, briefly ask: “Which expression was hardest to mirror?” and “How did it feel to see someone copy your face?”

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Discussion

Circle of Feelings Talk Prompts

Use these discussion questions during your circle time. Remind students to use listening ears, kind voices, and “I feel…” statements. Encourage reflective listening by modeling phrases like, “I heard you felt sad when…”

Discussion Guidelines:

  • Sit quietly in a circle and face the speaker.
  • Raise your hand and wait your turn to speak.
  • Start with “I feel…” to name your emotion.
  • After someone shares, you can say, “That sounds _____,” or “I’m here for you.”

  1. Happy Times
    Share a time you felt happy. What happened and how did it make you feel?



  2. Feeling Sad
    Tell us about a time you felt sad. What helped you feel better afterward?






  3. Surprises
    Describe something that surprised you. How did you know it was surprising?






  4. When You’re Angry
    Think of a time you felt angry. What did you do to calm yourself down?






  5. Worry and Support
    Share a time you felt worried. What could a friend say or do to help you?






  6. Calm Moments
    What is something you like to do that helps you feel calm and safe?






Follow-Up Questions & Prompts

  • How did your body feel when you experienced that emotion?
  • What words helped you feel understood or supported?
  • Can you think of another friend in this group who might feel the same way sometimes?

Use these follow-ups to deepen understanding and build empathy as students listen and respond to each other.

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Worksheet

Color Your Mood Worksheet

Use colors to show how each emotion feels. First, color the circle next to each emotion. Then, answer the question about why you chose that color.

  1. Happy
    ○ (Color here)
    Why did you choose this color for happy?




  2. Sad
    ○ (Color here)
    Why did you choose this color for sad?




  3. Surprised
    ○ (Color here)
    Why did you choose this color for surprised?




  4. Angry
    ○ (Color here)
    Why did you choose this color for angry?




  5. Worried
    ○ (Color here)
    Why did you choose this color for worried?




  6. Calm
    ○ (Color here)
    Why did you choose this color for calm?




Reflection Question

How can using colors help you tell others how you feel?











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